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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25020076">Chainsmoking</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/michaely/pseuds/michaely'>michaely</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ain't Ever Getting Older [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Life Is Strange (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, pricefield</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 06:55:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,146</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25020076</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/michaely/pseuds/michaely</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Pricefield, post-"Sacrifice Arcadia Bay" ending. </p>
<p>"I know I wouldn't have this chance without you. But that doesn't mean I can be the one to give you all the meaning and all the answers to your life... Did you save me just so I'd be forced to love you? Or did you save me because you wanted me to have my life?" </p>
<p>This is a story about love, but it is not a love story.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Maxine "Max" Caulfield &amp; Chloe Price, Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Chloe Price</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ain't Ever Getting Older [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1819399</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Female Characters Deserve Better, Femslash Friday, Fierce and Feisty Femslash!</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Call You Mine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XCVM3G3pns">
    <strong>"Set free every time you kissed me, we couldn't feel no pain."</strong>
  </a>
</p><p> </p><p>"Well, it's not exactly the Four Seasons, but it'll be nice to lay our heads down for a bit." Chloe's pickup truck lumbers into the parking lot. The run-down condition and overall shabbiness of the Oldbury Motel is a foreboding portent of a bad night's sleep. The entire place bears an air of drained resignation brought about through the trials of weathering and neglect. Still, it's the only resting spot Max and Chloe have been able to find during their retreat from the disaster site that is now Arcadia Bay. Night rain patters on the glass and metal. While it is a gentle noise, the immensity of the preceding day's ordeals still weighs on the minds of the girls, making them hyper-sensitive to their surroundings. Each raindrop sounds to them more like boulders slamming into the vehicle. "Don't you think?" She asks as she turns to Max.</p><p>Max, exhausted in every conceivable manner, can only muster a dispirited "Yeah," in response.</p>
<hr/><p>Max and Chloe, their jackets pulled over the heads to shield themselves from the drizzle, walk into the lobby. The fluorescent lights flicker wildly overhead, as if straining to perform their job. Every once in a while, there is the crackle of a fly meeting his end in the bug zapper. The tacky wallpaper with its farm animal pattern is peeling, almost as if it's doing so on its own in recognition of how antiquated it looks. A portly attendant sits behind the Formica desk, which is smeared with an obvious grime. His hairline is losing a turf war with his scalp, his expression akin to a melted candle.</p><p>"Good evening," Chloe takes a moment to read the attendant's name tag, "Davis. Room for tonight, please."</p><p>"It's fifty," Davis offers dryly.</p><p>"For this dump?" Chloe shoots back in disbelief.</p><p>"Chloe..." Max meekly attempts to intervene.</p><p>"Maybe you can start charging rent to the roaches who obviously live here," Chloe's voice rising, her temper not helped by the stress of recent events. "That'll cut your rates. What do you think of that idea?"</p><p>"Fifty dollars," Davis insists.</p><p>"Yeah, I heard you the first time!"</p><p>A hollow thud breaks up the squabble. Max has slammed down a crumpled wad of bills onto the desk.</p><p>Davis regards the offering as if Max had just brought a bag of hot garbage to his mother's funeral. He unfolds the money and flattens each piece onto the desk. After counting to confirm the correct sum, he retrieves a key hanging on the wall behind him.</p><p>"Room 237. Checkout by 11:00."</p><p>Chloe snatches the key from his hand. "I'm assuming there's no continental breakfast?"</p><p>Davis keeps his deadpan glare fixed on her, only deviating slightly to raise a skeptical eyebrow. Chloe catches sight of some pine-scented air fresheners displayed for sale across the desk. She swipes a handful and makes a point to hold the stash up to Davis' face. "I'm taking these," she states emphatically.</p>
<hr/><p>"I guess dysentery comes standard with the room." With caution, Chloe turns on the light switch. On the nightstand, a lamp in the shape of a mermaid turns on. "Classy," she remarks in exasperation.</p><p>A mute Max shuffles over to the bed and sits herself on the dingy comforter.</p><p>Chloe goes into the bathroom and turns the knobs of the rusty faucet. The pipes groan in protest before a weak stream of water starts dripping down.</p><p>"I saw a vending machine out there. Dorito's OK for dinner?"</p><p>Chloe is just about to head out the door when she hears a strained gasp from behind her. By the time she turns around, she sees Max, her tiny body trembling as she's wracked by intense sobs. Tears cascade down her cheeks. She lets out an extended, pained cry, which is interrupted only as she runs out of breath.</p><p>Chloe rushes to the foot of the bed and kneels in front of her. "Whoa dude, it's all right! Funyuns are fine too. I didn't know you were so hungry." When she sees that her attempt at humor didn't work to lighten the situation, she takes Max's face into both hands so the young girls can look into each other's eyes.</p><p>Max's entire face is now drenched, her hair matted messily across her eyes. Chloe's resolve wavers when she sees the severe agony that's striking her best friend, but this is fleeting. Chloe steels her will and resolutely stares back at Max.</p><p>"Wha--what have I done?" Max wails between sobs. "WHAT HAVE I DONE?"</p><p>Without hesitation, Chloe throws her arms around Max and clutches Max's body to hers. Almost by instinct, Max curls her body in on itself, allowing Chloe to cradle her more tightly.</p><p>The next rounds of shaking and sobbing come in waves. Chloe remains fixed in her position until everything subsides. She gingerly releases Max from her embrace, and her next words are spoken with firm conviction.</p><p>"Max, look at me. Don't overwhelm yourself with what's going on out there." She continues to fix her gaze at Max. "Here. Now." She deliberately lays down each word. "You and me. This is all that fucking matters."</p><p>Chloe places one hand behind Max's head. Max shudders at her touch.</p><p>"Be with me," Chloe whispers as she draws Max closer to her. In a single swift, elegant motion, Chloe pulls Max's mouth to hers. Max gasps, her eyes darting open in shock at the suddenness of Chloe's gesture. But her nerves soon settle. She closes her eyes and sighs in satisfaction.</p><p>Chloe releases the kiss to check on Max's reaction. Max doesn't need much time to make up her mind. She lunges at Chloe and reunites their lips. The kiss is savage and frantic, tongues going wherever they may. They get to their feet. Max allows her gray hoodie to fall off her shoulders. Chloe grasps the hem of Max's T-shirt, red and with the deer skull design, and slips it off over her head.</p>
<hr/><p>The insistent ringing of the phone rattles in Chloe's head, shaking her out of sleep. Assessing her surroundings, she sees Max, her cheek pinned to Chloe's bare chest. Max's slow yet persistent breathing leaves a subtle warmth on Chloe's skin. With one arm draped around Max's delicate and slim shoulder, Chloe reaches out her free hand for the receiver and brings it to her ear.</p><p>"Hello?" The word weakly escapes from her mouth.</p><p>"Checkout by 11:00," Davis drones from the other end.</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Chloe drops the receiver back onto the hook. The jingling noise causes Max to stir. Chloe can't help but smile when she notices Max. Whatever bad mood Chloe had found herself in, Max, even if just the faint memory of her, still was able to soothe any trace of angst or resentment.</p><p>Max looks up at Chloe. "Hi," she offers as a sheepish greeting.</p><p>"Hey," Chloe replies with a content smile. She places a kiss on Max's forehead. "Bad news: Stuart Ullman is kicking us out."</p><p>Chloe slips her arm out from under Max and gets out of bed.</p><p>"Who?" Max asks, still slightly groggy.</p><p>"Oh, that's right. You never saw The Shining."</p><p>Chloe picks out her underwear from the pile of clothes that had been thrown to the floor the night before.</p><p>"I'm not that into horror," Max replies.</p><p>Chloe steps into her panties and tugs them up over her legs and hips.</p><p>"Well, watch it with me sometime so you can understand my pop culture references. I have a clever sense of humor, I swear," Chloe pouts.</p><p>"Absolutely," Max giggles, "It's a date."</p><p>As she gathers the rest of her clothes, Chloe notices that Max is moving about with a sense of unease.</p><p>She deduces that it's up to her to break the ice. Again. "If you're not gonna say it, I guess I have to." She strides over to Max and places both hands on her nude waist. "Last night," she says, intently looking her best friend in the eyes, Max as usual frozen by the intensity of Chloe's gaze, "was totally amazeballs."</p><p>The plan works as Max seems to let go of her tension and breaks out into laughter.</p><p>"You're a fucking dork," Max says in between chuckles.</p><p>"Only a dork can like a dork, so that makes you an even bigger dork, dork."</p><p>The mood began as playful, but with Max's still bare body so near to her yet again, Chloe pulls her into another kiss. She runs her hand across the small of Max's back while Max tangles her fingers within Chloe's signature blue locks.</p><p>Max can't help but offer a proposition. "Why don't we get one more night?"</p><p>"Hmm. Tempting as that is, and I promise I don't mean to come off as a prissy bitch, but if you're gonna take advantage of me some more, I'll need a hot meal and a shower with warm water. Fair deal?"</p><p>"You're right. There are way more suitable environments for setting the mood." Max is reminded that their plan had been to return to her parents' home in Seattle.</p><p>"Plus," Chloe points out as she goes to slip on her jeans, "both your folks work, right?"</p><p>"Right," Max confirms, though unsure of where Chloe's train of thought is heading.</p><p>Chloe's immediate response to this information is a devilish grin. "Then that means," she takes Max into her arms, "there will be so much alone time," she places another tender kiss on Max, "and so many rooms to explore." With that last line, Chloe intentionally hams it up, lacing her words with comically lewd suggestiveness, a delivery more like that of the mistress character from a low-budget network soap opera.</p><p>Max knows cheese when she sees it. "No doubt about it, you're the bigger dork."</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>"Hey, what you doing for the rest of your life?"</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Young</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Author's note: Light spoilers from Life is Strange 2, as conversations in the final episode reveals what happened to some characters after the events of the first game.</p><p>
  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS7OffmLrf0">
    <strong>"We were caught up in the high, it was better than drugs. Too high to see that it would all lead to destruction."</strong>
  </a>
</p><p> </p><p>The reunion is predictably laden with histrionics. At the same time, no one could fault Ryan and Vanessa for the steep waves of emotion that hit them upon finally learning their only daughter had made it back to them safe, if not without some scrapes and bruises. Rest assured, there is a lifetime's worth of joyous weeping and getting squeezed just a little too tightly between her parents' arms.</p><p>Max summons up some uneasy half-smiles as she squirms restlessly in the protracted embrace of her family. She had often avoided scenes of such manic frenzy, and never had she felt comfortable as the center of attention. At the same time, Chloe's presence in the moment acts as her grounding force, stabilizing her hold on reality. This is a role Chloe found herself proud to have been playing ever since they met up again.</p><p>Ryan and Vanessa are also sure to heap their gratitude upon Chloe, that is, after overcoming their initial shock at how the lanky adolescent from their memory had metamorphosed over the years.</p><p>Assuring as it was to finally be in a setting suited for their safety and comfort, among people who cared genuinely for them, the focus of the two girls is obviously on an entirely other matter. They give their full effort to return Mr. and Mrs. Caulfield's enthusiasm and joviality, but needless to say the time when their hosts finally fell asleep that night couldn't come soon enough for Max and Chloe.</p><hr/><p>For a brief, but glorious, length of time, things are as Chloe and Max had expected. For that length of time, Chloe's promise for the two of them to be all that matters, that promise is fulfilled. They spend this length of time enveloped in each other.</p><p>Sure, they found the physical intimacy to be wholly satisfying. Beyond even that, the best friends come to understand all the little details that can be appreciated about each other. The twinkle of the morning sun in Chloe's eyes as she looked back at Max from her pillow. The heady aroma of Max's shampoo flooding Chloe's sinuses. The way Max knew exactly how much mustard Chloe liked in her ham and cheese sandwich. The sensation of Chloe's fine, slim fingers slipping along Max's spine. The gentle weight of Max's face resting on Chloe's chest. Chloe's meticulous technique of crumbling and sprinkling graham crackers on the sundae they would share for dessert. The luxurious patterns in which their slender legs found themselves entwined.</p><p>For a length of time, this is all they care about. This is all that exists. As the years pass for Chloe and Max, this length of time would feel increasingly dissatisfying for just how fleeting it was.</p><hr/><p>Max sits at the dining room table, her attention fixed on her art history textbook. Despite it being the closing days of winter, the afternoon weather is unseasonably chilly, so a wool blanket is draped over her shoulders. She is about to take a sip from her mug of tea when she hears the jingle of the chime hanging over the house's front door. She recognizes the cadence of the footsteps in the entryway as belonging to Chloe. Strange, she thinks, because Chloe doesn't usually return from work for a few more hours. Max walks to the entrance and surely enough sees Chloe dropping her bag on the floor.</p><p>"Hey, hon," Chloe beams at her. At least Chloe's joy at seeing Max had persisted through all the changes. Max had enrolled in some courses at the community college, and Chloe was working at a used bookstore in Pike Place Market. There isn't as much time for each other as there had been, but something that had remained constant is the smile that Max brought to Chloe's face.</p><p>The two offer each other a warm embrace, Chloe punctuating it with a peck on Max's lips.</p><p>"Is everything OK?" asks Max. "You usually don't finish until later."</p><p>"Right. I have an appointment I need to get to in a little while, so I took off early."</p><p>"What kind of appointment?"</p><p>"It..." Chloe fiddles anxiously with the three bullets that she wears on her necklace. Max has found this to be a common tic for when Chloe doesn't know what to say. "It's something I wanted to tell you about in person. Can we sit outside? I need some fresh air."</p><p>"Um...sure."</p><p>Chloe heads out the door and takes a seat on the porch swing. Max cautiously follows her.</p><p>Chloe draws a deep breath. "I'm moving out."</p><p>Max's immediate response is thorough shock. She surprises herself when she's able to offer any kind of response at all. "You--you're what?"</p><p>"Found a place of my own. Moving up in the world." Chloe tries to maintain her trademark levity, but quickly recognizes Max isn't swayed this time.</p><p>"I didn't even know you were looking for somewhere else to live."</p><p>"Yeah, it's just that everyone's been so into their own shit recently, I guess I never found the right time to mention it. But today I got a call back from the landlord, and something opened up for me. There's a waiting list a mile long, though, so I need to sign the lease tonight."</p><p>"Are you sure you want this?" This sounds more like pleading than Max intends. "You don't have to, you know."</p><p>"Can't mooch off your parents forever."</p><p>"They don't mind. You're just like family to them."</p><p>Chloe diverts her gaze and tenses her lips. The girl sighs hugely. "But I'm not family, am I?"</p><p>Max dreads where the conversation is heading.</p><p>"All the family I've ever had," Chloe explains, "They're gone."</p><p>Max is pained at the reminder of the tragic fates of William and Joyce Price.</p><p>"I don't have great experience with family," Chloe states with finality. "I think it's just cleaner and simpler this way."</p><p>The wind starts to kick up again. Max clutches at her blanket to wrap it more tightly around her, but somehow it doesn't take away the chill in her bones.</p><p>Chloe continues, "I know this is huge news, but I promise things aren't gonna change so much."</p><p>Any logical mind would be skeptical about this, but at this point Max is desperate for any sign that things can be OK. "You sure?"</p><p>"I'm sure," Chloe says, placing her hand under Max's chin and bringing her face closer. "We'll call and text all the time. We'll have movie nights, go out for Thai food, do mani-pedis, whatever you want."</p><p>Max finally summons up a slight grin at his prospect.</p><p>Chloe assures, "It'll be like I never left." Something about these words strikes Max as nothing less than a sign of their doom. For the life of her, she can't figure out why.</p><p>Absent anything else to say, Max can only offer a weak nod.</p><p>"That's my girl," Chloe smiles proudly at her. She checks her watch. "Oh, I have to get going now."</p><p>"OK. Fine."</p><p>Placing a kiss on Max's forehead, Chloe stands up from her seat. "Your invitation to the housewarming is gonna be the first, I promise."</p><p>"Yeah," Max replies, only half-convincingly.</p><p>Chloe descends the porch stairs and enters her truck. Before driving off, Chloe blows a kiss to Max. Max gives her a meek wave.</p><p>Another gust of wind, freezing this time, comes barreling in.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>"We just gotta own that shit. I hope that we can grow from this."</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Who Do You Love?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0V1y2p1sgs">
    <strong>"Found cigarettes in your Fendi coat."</strong>
  </a>
</p><p> </p><p>This time, Chloe can't fulfill her promise. She had left, and contrary to her assertion, Max feels her absence always. Each second marking the length of their separation seems to drag on and on.</p><p>Even when she and Chloe are together, the signs that something is off continue to accumulate.</p><p>It's only minute details at first. Her attitude becomes increasingly distant, lacking the attentive devotion that Max had enjoyed when they first reunited. More and more frequently, Chloe has to step away to attend to her phone. She had never been a social butterfly, and Max was never made aware of any new friends she had made in Seattle. Contrary to Chloe's initial offer, Max never received any such invitation to visit her new place.</p><p>More obvious signals come later. Chloe starts alternating hair colors, ruby red one night but maybe deep violet or platinum blonde at the next meeting. When asked about it, Chloe brushes it off as "Just trying something new." The two had grown up accustomed to humble neighborhood joints like Two Whales, but Chloe starts taking Max to very trendy upscale establishments. Chloe is always quick to pay with her own credit card. When had Chloe gotten a credit card? One night Chloe was wearing a designer coat from what Max recognized as an exclusive Italian fashion house, hardly fitting with her usual grunge chic aesthete. "Other stuff is at the cleaner's," Chloe remarked.</p><hr/><p>"Is this the right place?" Max wonders to herself.</p><p>She stands before the sandstone facade of Permanent Heights, an ornate structure of Neoclassical Revival design. This luxurious apartment building is supposed to be where Chloe has moved to. It strikes Max as so improbable that this could be where Chloe now calls home. For someone from the quaint suburbs of Oregon, the building itself seems to say to Max, "You don't belong here."</p><p>Past the garden with its rows of immaculately trimmed roses, Max walks up to the sturdy and tall oak door. She enters the lobby. A glittering chandelier spreads itself across seemingly the entirety of the ceiling. The heels of her well-worn flats click on the polished marble floor. The only other soul occupying this vast space is a hulking mass of muscle dressed in a studiously tailored navy suit. His hair is buzzed tight to his skull. The cuffs of his shirt sleeves are folded sharp enough to cut sashimi. Black letters across his pewter name tag read "Andre."</p><p>"Can I help you?" Andre asks Max.</p><p>"I..." Max hesitates as she instinctively grips the paper bag of Chinese takeout to her chest, almost like she's trying to shield herself with it. "I'm here to see Chloe Price."</p><p>Andre opens the thick ledger sitting on the desk beside him. He flips through a few pages before inspecting Max once more. Max fidgets under his gaze.</p><p>"Apartment 505," he instructs her. "Elevator on the right."</p><p>Max follows the direction where Andre had pointed his stubby finger.</p><p>The elevator ride doesn't last that long, but Max started feeling anxious as soon as the heavy metal doors had shut. Permanent Heights strikes her as a place of secrets, not all of which are safe to uncover.</p><p>She walks down the hall, glancing over the numbers in front of the doors until she sees 505. She raises her shaking hand to ring the doorbell. She pauses briefly, but pushes the button anyway. When she does so, she finds herself shutting her eyes, as if fearful she had just set off a lethal booby trap.</p><p>The silence lingers as she waits for the door to open. Once it does, the person who greets her is not Chloe. Max sees a tall, middle-aged man of muscular build. His tidy dark brown hair bears specks of gray, as does his beard. He wears a green checkered collared shirt and jeans.</p><p>It's hard to say which party is in greater shock. Max and the stranger look back at each other with their mouths hanging agape for a few moments. The man breaks the silence, although a strained "Hi," is all he can offer. He speaks with a Texan drawl that would actually be pretty charming if not for the awkward nature of the circumstance.</p><p>"Hi," Max replies, but this is more akin to her mimicking what she just heard rather than something from her own independent thought.</p><p>The deadlock persists a few more seconds until Chloe's voice is heard from out of sight.</p><p>"Joel, can you get the plates from the cabinet?"</p><p>Chloe walks into view, but the person who Max sees is hardly recognizable as Chloe. Her hair is dyed raven black, lips painted candy apple red. All she wears is a black bustier and matching cheeky panties. Upon seeing Max at the front door, Chloe freezes. She takes a few panicked breaths before scrambling to snatch the short silk robe lying across the armrest of her leather sofa. "Max." Chloe hurriedly tries to cover herself with the robe. Her attempt to sound cool and pleasant is betrayed by her hasty motions. "What a surprise." Chloe fumbles to tie up her robe. "What are you doing here?"</p><p>Still unable to comprehend that the present situation is in fact reality, Max can't yet respond.</p><p>Joel takes the initiative instead. "I think I better just leave you two ladies to it."</p><p>"Right," Chloe affirms. "Yes, that would be best. Let me get your jacket." Chloe grabs the brown leather jacket draped over the back of one of the chairs in the dining room. She hands it back to Joel. "Thanks again for understanding. See you next week?"</p><p>"That'll be fine," Joel assures. He steps past Max and out into the hallway, "Nice to meet you."</p><p>Max gives an absentminded nod in response. She and Chloe stare mutely at each other as they listen to Joel leave in the elevator.</p><p>"Well," Chloe tries again to put on her chipper face. "Don't just stand there, frog on a log! Come in."</p><p>Max walks through the door with all the wariness of someone who's about to wade through a minefield. The interior design of Chloe's apartment is quite sleek and modern, heavy in the glass and steel components with strong black and white contrast in the furniture's color scheme. Every surface has been cleaned and polished to a pristine shine. The TV and kitchen appliances are all top of the line.</p><p>"What have we here?" Chloe asks as she takes the paper bag from Max's hands.</p><p>"It's takeout from the Chinese restaurant near home." She also reaches into her messenger bag. "And I brought The Shining on DVD. I thought we could finally watch it together."</p><p>"You're right, that's gonna be so much fun!" Chloe starts removing some plates and glasses from the kitchen cabinets. She's eager to move past the night's bumpy beginning and establish this as just another regular chill session between friends. "And you're in for a treat because I'm having something delivered for dinner too. You know Morimoto from Iron Chef? He opened a sushi bar in Belltown, and it is the literal best." She takes out some of Max's food from the bag. "Not sure how it's gonna pair with orange chicken, but I'm game if you are."</p><p>"Chloe," Max is terrified at what she's going to learn, but she isn't willing to simply disregard what she just witnessed, "Who was that?"</p><p>Chloe averts her gaze in defeat. She just realized there's no more avoiding coming clean about the truth. "Joel is..." Out of habit, she reaches for her necklace, but realizes she isn't wearing it.</p><p>Max's voice quakes in trepidation, "Just tell me."</p><p>Chloe has to make sure her robe is completely shut. She's feeling bare in more ways than one. "He owns the construction company that built this place." Chloe goes on, "He put in a word for me with the property manager, so now I basically live here for free."</p><p>Max swallows hard. "And what does Joel want in return?"</p><p>"Life can be tough. We just offer each other some companionship,'" Chloe tries to say this matter-of-factly, but her strong front is in fact disintegrating.</p><p>Max's breath catches in her throat. Her heart races. "You mean you're his whore," she wheezes and has to catch herself on the back of Chloe's sofa.</p><p>"Hey, relax." Chloe walks over next to Max and tries to reassure her with a hand on her shoulder. Max recoils at her touch. Chloe continues, "Look, you don't have to put a label on this. I needed a place to crash. He's a busy guy who thinks it's too much trouble to meet women. Simple as that."</p><p>"Simple as that?" Max repeats. Her initial stunned stupor is giving way to aggression and resentment. "So it's as 'simple' as you go and you're with this..." she struggles to get the words out, knowing that if she speaks them, she has to accept them as truth. "This man. And then you come and touch me with those same hands?"</p><p>Out of shame, Chloe can no longer meet Max's gaze. "Never on the same day."</p><p>"So that's why we're hardly ever together anymore?"</p><p>"I don't know what you want from me, Max!" Chloe erects her defenses, frustrated at being constantly attacked. "I'm not like you. I can't do the same thing always. Sometimes I just want something different."</p><p>Max feels her jaw clench. Her hands ball into fists, fingernails digging severely into her palm. It wouldn't be until later when she notices the gashes left in her skin. "Different," she repeats with obvious venom. "Different how?" She can sense the dreadful truths coming, but quite honestly she's now just looking for justification to lash out.</p><p>"Don't do this."</p><p>"Different how?" Now her battle to hold back the tears has been lost. Her breathing gets short as the sobs come heaving out. "I want you to say it. What do you do with him?" She takes a heavy step toward Chloe.</p><p>"I'm telling you, back off."</p><p>"I want to hear you fucking say it! What do you do with him?" She lunges at Chloe and shoves her in the chest with both hands.</p><p>Chloe stumbles back, but when she regains her footing, she looks to return Max's vitriol in full force. "We do EVERYTHING people do when they have sex!"</p><p>"Like what?!"</p><p>"Like he licks my tits, and I swallow his cum!"</p><p>The sharp thwack of Max's hand colliding with Chloe's cheek echoes off every surface in the apartment. As Chloe waits for her ears to stop ringing, she struggles to accept the fact that the Max she knew has now gone this far. When her vision focuses again, Chloe sees Max's face, now contorted into a vengeful scowl.</p><p>"Thank you," Max manages to force out in between anguished sobs, "for your honesty. Now fuck off and die."</p><p>Max waits until after she's burst out the front door and retreated into the elevator before collapsing into a heap and letting all her tears fall.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>"You ain't gotta make it easy, where you been sleeping. This shit is keeping me up at night."</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. All We Know</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Note: Spoilers from Life is Strange 2, since it reveals what happened to some characters from the first game.</p><p>
  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEi_XBg2Fpk"> <strong>"Two hearts still beating on with different rhythms. Maybe we should let this go."</strong> </a>
</p><p> </p><p>Had it been any other call, Max might not have picked up. She had been crying herself to sleep recently and was always thoroughly drained by the time she could shut her eyes and fatigue overtakes her. An empty tissue box lies next to her pillow, its contents spread haphazardly around her bed. It's just her bed now. Her heart aches for the times when this space was also for Chloe.</p><p>Her phone plays its usual notification tone. Her eyes, still puffy from her tears, flutter open slowly. She gropes around her nightstand and finds the device. She lets out a weary, "Hello?"</p><p>"Hi, this is Dr. John Mallory from Harborview Medical Center."</p><hr/><p>Max could only bear the cab ride to the hospital because Dr. Mallory had assured her Chloe's condition was stable. Still, Max's heart was stuck in her throat throughout the entire trip.</p><p>Max passes through the sliding doors and into the bright, sterile confines of the emergency room lobby. She inquires with the attending nurse, who pages Dr. Mallory. Max is eventually greeted by a slim, bald gentleman with a scruffy white beard. He offers his hand to Max, who gives it a perfunctory shake.</p><p>"First of all, Ms. Caulfield, I apologize for having contacted you so late, but it seems Chloe's next of kin, William and Joyce Price, are both deceased. Stepfather David Madsen's number has been disconnected. Out of all the contacts in her phone, you were the only one who is local to Seattle. I wholeheartedly appreciate your being here."</p><p>"Of course. Chloe's very important to me."</p><p>Dr. Mallory nods reassuringly, then reads from his chart through his aviator glasses. "Chloe was treated for dehydration and hyperthermia. Most likely a result of MDMA in her system."</p><p>"I'm sorry, of what?"</p><p>"Most commonly known as ecstasy."</p><p>Max is taken aback. Chloe's marijuana habit was no secret, but it's shocking to hear how her behavior has escalated.</p><p>"And while this condition was the primary purpose of her visit, I did notice some other factors that should be brought to the attention of a loved one."</p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p>"Chloe had bruising on her wrists and arms, as well as blood under her fingernails."</p><p>Max's stomach twists into an agonizing knot. Her mind starts to flood with all the worst possibilities.</p><p>"While her initial condition was certainly serious, I don't want any possible underlying warning signs of something more severe to go ignored. That's why I've been trying to reach someone who's close to her."</p><p>Max has to wonder if she's so close to Chloe anymore. How capable is she to solve something like this now?</p><p>Dr. Mallory continues, "I don't wish to overstep my bounds as a physician. So I am hoping that a person who understands her situation more intimately can provide the proper assistance."</p><p>Max has the feeling she understands so little these days, least of all Chloe and her situation.</p><p>"She's still resting, but would you like to see her?" asks Dr. Mallory.</p><p>Max gives a hesitant nod.</p><hr/><p>Max always remembers Chloe greeting her with abundant verve and energy. Whenever Chloe was around, you noticed her. She was undeniable. She brought her spirit to any scene she participated in.</p><p>Entering Chloe's room this time, Max only finds the dull hum of the air conditioner and the insistent beep of monitors. While the staff had done their best to clean her up, it's obvious she had been wearing intense makeup, smudges and smears still left on her face. Max gingerly approaches her, each step feeling like it leads further into peril. Chloe's face is tilted to her left, and some of her hair (now bubblegum pink in color) had fallen in front. Max reaches out a wary hand to brush the errant strands away. Max finds it a little strange that Chloe's expression seems rather serene, as if this is the first time in a while that she's been able to rest.</p><hr/><p>She isn't sure when she fell asleep, but Max wakes to find herself seated in a chair and slumped over the foot of Chloe's bed. Notably missing, however, is Chloe. Max scans around to see Chloe stepping out of the bathroom. A far cry from the hospital gown from last night, Chloe now wears a petite cinnabar red minidress that clings tightly around her waist and thighs. In her right hand she carries a pair of aggressively tall stilettos.</p><p>When she notices Max, Chloe purses her lips and looks away.</p><p>"I, uh..." With her free hand, Chloe fiddles with her necklace. "I'm sorry they bothered you."</p><p>"It's OK," Max replies blankly.</p><p>Chloe picks up her black leather clutch from the bedside table. "I guess the least I can do is buy you a coffee."</p><hr/><p>Chloe sips from her paper cup. Max's sits untouched on the table. The pall hangs with oppressive heaviness between the two of them.</p><p>In the morning light that pours in through the windows of the dining hall, Max can see more clearly the bruises that Dr. Mallory was mentioning.</p><p>Chloe notices Max's gaze. "It's not what you think."</p><p>"I'm thinking a lot of things, so how about some clarification?"</p><p>Chloe sets her cup down. It lands with a heavy thud. "I went to Joel's house last night. I guess we got into an argument. I was too fucked up to think clearly, and things got out of hand."</p><p>"Did he hurt you?"</p><p>"Relax. I know I call you 'Bat-Max,' but I don't actually need vigilante justice from you. I skipped lunch and drank too much, that's all."</p><p>"They said you were doing drugs."</p><p>"Hey, Mother Teresa, don't go strangling yourself on your own chastity belt. You're not my parent or anything like that, so you have no right to know anything. I should sue this place for telling you at all!"</p><p>"I'm just trying to help."</p><p>"Help with what? That molly was mine. I brought it."</p><p>"But Chloe, why?"</p><p>"See, this is why I moved out."</p><p>"What are you talking about?"</p><p>"You just cannot handle it if people live outside the parameters of your white picket fence ideal of life. Not everybody wants that." Chloe sighs in exasperation. "I don't want that."</p><p>Max takes a shaky breath, tears welling up already, before finally confirming, "You mean you don't want me?"</p><p>"Jesus, Max, do you have to make everything about you?" Chloe's phone buzzes. "My cab's here. I have to go." She downs the rest of her coffee and swipes her bag from the table. "I'm really sorry you went to all the trouble. Next time, just don't bother." She beats a hasty retreat, heels clicking hollowly on the hard floor, the sound dissipating as she leaves.</p><p>Max is left again in her tears. It's becoming more and more the natural state of things.</p><hr/><p>Max once again finds herself before a place unfamiliar to her.</p><p>That night at the hospital, she had looked through Chloe's phone. Chloe always used 8105 (the birthday of her late cat, Bongo) as an access code. Max was able to find Joel's address and now stands at the front porch step of his modest two-story rambler ranch house. She wasn't sure exactly why she had made the trip. How could she expect Joel to receive her? Was he even home? Probably it was just out of desperation to learn something, anything more about Chloe.</p><p>Max climbs up the steps and knocks on the door. While waiting for a response, she glances around and sees a little girl's tricycle, pink with glittering silver tassels hanging from the handles.</p><p>She snaps to attention as the door opens, immediately taking notice of the scratch marks running down Joel's left cheek and the black eye right above.</p><p>Just like the first time they met, Joel is stunned. "You..." After an anxious beat, Joel catches sight of the canister of mace that Max clutches in her hand. "If you're here about Chloe, you have to know I didn't intend for nothing bad to happen. If you came on some kind of revenge thing, I'll confess everything to the police. Just don't do anything foolish."</p><p>"What?" Max just now is reminded of the weapon she's bearing. She realizes that even if she were faced with some legitimate villain who deserves what's coming to him, she still couldn't go through with it. "No. I--" Feeling far out of her depth, she stuffs the can back into her messenger bag. "I'm--I'm sorry" she stutters as she turns away to walk back down the porch.</p><p>"Max?"</p><p>She looks up to see Chloe exiting her truck. She's wearing a more familiar outfit of tank top, tattered jeans, and black boots. Her hair is back to the trademark blue.</p><p>"Chloe, I already told you I don't want no more trouble!" Joel calls out sternly.</p><p>"Take it easy. Sober as a judge today."</p><p>Joel shoots back a dismissive scoff.</p><p>Approaching Joel's house slowly, Chloe continues, "I left some stuff in your place. Can I just get it back?"</p><p>Joel heaves a massive sigh. "You got five minutes. Anything left is going in the trash."</p><p>"And they say chivalry is dead," Chloe remarks as she stands next to Max. Chloe turns to her, "You OK?"</p><p>Max nods, this time it is she who can't look Chloe in the eyes.</p><p>Chloe enters the house and can be heard climbing up the stairs.</p><p>Joel walks over to the porch railing while rifling through his pockets. He produces a marijuana joint and lights it with his Zippo.</p><p>"Do you..." he offers the joint to Max.</p><p>"No, I don't," Max tries to sound polite as possible. "No thanks."</p><p>"She always said you was the smart one."</p><p>Max can't help but feel joy that Chloe compliments her.</p><p>Trying to cut the tension, Max points at the tricycle. "You have a daughter?"</p><p>"Mm," replies Joel as he takes a drag. "Yes. Sarah. Turns six in September."</p><p>"How nice."</p><p>"Already doesn't listen to a damn word I say," Joel remarks in jest.</p><p>Max can't help but snicker herself. "I have sympathy for you guys. It's not like we come with an instructions manual."</p><p>"To be honest, her mother was the one who handled most of the discipline."</p><p>"Oh."</p><p>"She died a couple years ago. Cancer."</p><p>"I'm sorry."</p><p>Joel nods somberly. "It's all right. It happens to everyone, someway. You just hope you don't got nothing to apologize for at the end."</p><p>He pulls another deep drag, releasing it slowly this time. Max looks down, picking at the grain of the wood of the railing.</p><p>"Look, I imagine you came all this way because you care a great deal for Chloe. That fair to say?"</p><p>Max nods. Through all the confusion and chaos, now and before, Max had always been sure of that.</p><p>"The benefit of being old and washed up is that I've known many people who acted like she's doing now. Friends, family, former lovers. Every time it's because they was hurting from an emptiness inside them. For anyone to be right, you gotta find what makes you whole, what fills that emptiness. But only that person can decide what that's supposed to be. Only when they get that clear, can they actually start to get better."</p><p>"And what if..." Max shudders at the next thought, "What if Chloe decides that's not me?"</p><p>Joel snuffs out the joint on the railing. "Then at least you don't waste your life trying to be something you ain't."</p><p>Chloe's boots can be heard stomping down the stairs. A gray tote bag hangs off her shoulder. She walks out the front door and stands next to Max again. "Thank you, Joel, for your hospitality."</p><p>"Sure thing," he replies in disgruntlement.</p><p>"And I don't like to leave anything up in the air, so I'll just tell you now not to worry. I'll move out of the apartment."</p><p>"It's your life. Good luck."</p><p>"All right, well this has been about as much fun as dental work," Chloe turns to Max, "Took a cab?"</p><p>Max nods.</p><p>"Come on, I'll drive you home."</p><p>Chloe walks down the porch steps without looking back. Max, however, glances at Joel again, his words taking hold in her mind.</p><hr/><p>Chloe pulls up to the curb beside Ryan and Vanessa's house. She hasn't looked at Max the entire drive and can't find the courage to do so now. She can hear Max unbuckle her seat belt.</p><p>"Do you want to come in?" Max offers sheepishly.</p><p>"I should go to the apartment. Get my stuff before it ends up dumped on the front lawn."</p><p>"You could stay here for a while. Just until you figure things out."</p><p>"I can swing a hotel for a couple weeks, make some calls and see what my next move's gonna be."</p><p>Chloe first hears a slight sniffle, but soon enough the weeping comes in earnest for Max. Instead of trying to defuse things with her humor as usual, Chloe realizes she needs to take responsibility for the pain she's causing.</p><p>"Chloe," Max calls out in between her tears. "I would do anything for you. Be anything. For you!" As her crying intensifies, Max clutches her knees to her chest, trying to shield herself as it seems like the entire world is trying to crush her. "I broke time just to be with you."</p><p>Chloe releases her seat belt to scoot over next to Max. Chloe gently wraps Max's shivering body in her arms. "I know. I know I wouldn't have this chance without you. But that doesn't mean I can be the one to give you all the meaning and all the answers to your life. I don't..." Chloe's words are now stifled by her own tears, "I don't think I can be that for anyone. I don't know if the wiring in my brain is fucked, or I'm missing some bone in my body, or hell, it could be my dad dying, and you and Rachel disappearing, then my mom."</p><p>The two girls sit wrapped in each other, each of them acting as the only force to prevent the other from collapsing.</p><p>"Tell me something," Chloe continues. "Did you save me just so I'd be forced to love you? Or did you save me because you wanted me to have my life?"</p><p>Max cries furiously now. She is facing the truth in its full ugliness, the truth which is crushing the hopes for the life she wanted.</p><p>Chloe goes on, "This is my life. With all its blemishes and flaws. I have to try to make the best of it that I can. That's all I can do for you."</p><p>Max pushes Chloe away. "Fuck you," she spitefully chokes out. She collapses against the dashboard and pounds at it with her fist, all the while her wails resound inside the cabin.</p><p>Once Chloe can subdue her sobs a little, she reaches out again and grabs hold of Max. Max struggles initially but surrenders as Chloe brings her close to her chest, just like in that motel so long ago.</p><p>"We're always together, OK? Even when we're apart. We're still Max and Chloe."</p><p>It takes a moment, but Max eventually recognizes where these words came from.</p><p>Chloe makes her own addition now, "Max and Chloe. Whatever form that can take, whatever you and I can be to each other, can you be happy? Can you try?" Max grasps at Chloe more tightly. Chloe pleads again, "Can that be enough?"</p><p>A downpour has erupted. Lightning bursts from the clouds and casts a blinding glow down to earth. Thunder rattles the metal and glass of the car. In this din and tumult, the girls can only feel each other.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>"We've passed the end, so we chase forever. 'Cause this is all we know."</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Paris</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhU9MZ98jxo">
    <strong>"How could I let you fall by yourself while I'm wasted for someone else?"</strong>
  </a>
</p><p> </p><p>Chloe stands in front of the picturesque Drumheller Fountain, a half-spent cigarette hanging from her lips, Ray-Ban Wayfarers shielding her eyes from the early afternoon sun. It's just slightly toasty for this time of year, but having spent the summer down in Arizona, she finds the current weather to be a welcome respite from that kind of oppressive heat. She had always joked the only way she'd ever make it onto the campus of the University of Washington is if she made a wrong turn on the way to Tacoma, but today she's here to visit her best friend who recently started her second year of studies.</p><p>Class having just let out, a mass of humanity spills from the front doors of Bagley Hall. Even amidst the throng, Chloe picks out Max immediately. She crushes the cigarette under the heel of her boot, and a wide smile flashes across her face. Some things never change.</p><p>Max eventually catches sight of Chloe and bounds down the steps towards her. The two girls wrap each other up in a tight hug. Some things never change.</p><p>"How you been, smarty pants?" Chloe asks, playfully tussling Max's hair.</p><p>"Getting hella murdered by calculus, but otherwise fine."</p><p>"Better you than me."</p><p>Max draws a deep breath of the clear late summer air. "How about you? How was Arizona?"</p><p>"Aside from the sun cooking me like bacon every afternoon? It actually did me lots of good. Getting away from all the craziness, it just really helped me get focused again, you know?"</p><p>"That sounds great. Good for you."</p><p>"And you're not gonna believe this, but David has actually chilled way the fuck out."</p><p>"You're serious?"</p><p>"I don't know if those hippies have been putting Quaaludes in his Cheerios, but he's not nearly the stick in the mud he used to be."</p><p>"There's room for everyone to grow, I guess."</p><p>"But enough about me. You know why I'm here."</p><p>"Yeah..." Now that the day has actually come, Max is just having the slightest trepidation about having set up this meeting. Chloe, after all, tends to approach all situations with her own brand of playful irreverence.</p><p>"Your new boy toy. Let me see if I got all the facts straight. Grad student, teaches classes on the side for his scholarship."</p><p>"Yes."</p><p>"Only eats orange Starbursts."</p><p>"Correct. Big thing with him."</p><p>"Loves the music of Journey, but only the Steve Perry stuff."</p><p>"Like anybody with a brain does."</p><p>"Builds model Gundam figures in his free time."</p><p>"Sadly yes."</p><p>"And...oh my god."</p><p>Walking towards the two girls comes a gangly young man with windswept dirty blonde hair. A stack of papers is tucked under his left arm. He also carries a black briefcase. His outfit seems to be plucked from a 1950's Columbia University faculty photo: beige tweed suit jacket (of course there are elbow patches), brown tie with gray stripes, a finely starched white dress shirt, plaid suspenders holding up his well-creased khakis. Even more striking to Chloe than his choice of attire is his height, standing perhaps a full head length above most of the other people in the crowd. Maybe it wouldn't look quite so unusual if his build were more of the standard musculature, but he's practically the embodiment of the phrase "skin and bones." Still, his gentle, boyish features and the Cheshire Cat smile he wears as he sees Max exudes a warmth in his presence.</p><p>"You are dating a human beanpole," remarks Chloe.</p><p>"Be nice," insists Max under her breath.</p><p>Without hesitation, the young man strides up to Max and scoops her up into his spindly arms. He squeezes her ever so slightly and sighs in gratitude to be reunited with her. When he releases the hug, he looks at her as if he had just gotten his first Nintendo 64 on Christmas morning. "How was class?"</p><p>"It was good," Max can't help but grin impishly as well. She turns to Chloe, who, had this been anyone else she were dealing with, probably would've gotten nauseous from wholesomeness overload. "Chloe, I'd like you to meet Zach Ettenberg. My boyfriend."</p><p>"It's a pleasure," Chloe says, presenting her hand to Zach, who still wears that ear to ear grin as he sets down his briefcase to shake her hand jubilantly.</p><p>"And Zach, this is Chloe Price."</p><p>"Of course, it is so amazing to finally to meet you," he says to Chloe with earnest wonder. "I've heard all the stories."</p><p>"I hope not all the stories because then you might not like me so much."</p><p>Zach breaks out in a hearty laugh. "There's that sense of humor I'm always hearing about!"</p><p>Chloe laughs along, while at the same time inwardly acknowledging that there were some things about her that she in fact wouldn't be so proud to share.</p><p>"Max has also told me how proud she is of you," Chloe points out. "I hear you're an accomplished zoology researcher?"</p><p>"Me? Nah, I'm just a simple guy trying to teach chimps to do sign language with their toes."</p><p>Max chimes in, "Zach is the youngest student to earn a grant from the school in the last 20 years."</p><p>"Oh stop," responds Zach bashfully. He wraps his free arm around Max, who places both arms around his waist. He plants a kiss on top of Max's head.</p><p>Chloe actually feels her heart start to flutter a bit.</p><p>"Listen," Zach says as he looks back to Chloe. "I really wanted Max to set this up between us today because there's something I've been wanting to tell you."</p><p>"Sure. What is it?"</p><p>"I've heard all that you and Max have been through, and I understand how important a part you've played in making her the person she is. And truly, I think she is just the most wonderful and incredible and terrific girl I know."</p><p>Max looks up at him, and he returns her look with affection.</p><p>"I can't believe I had all this time without her, and I can only wish she had been in my life all along, the way you and she were able to be."</p><p>Max sniffles.</p><p>"But since I'm lucky enough for her to be here now, I can promise you I'm going to make all this time with her the best it can be."</p><p>"Well..." Chloe takes a breath, still a bit jarred that a practical stranger had offered such a genuine outpouring of emotion. At the same time, she finds solace in the comfort Max has been able to find. "You really wanna repay me?"</p><p>"Absolutely. Name it."</p><p>"Next time I'm in town, first round's on you, big guy."</p><p>"You got it." Zach checks his watch. "Oh, gotta get going. Staff meeting soon."</p><p>"OK, good luck," Max says.</p><p>"See you at dinner tonight?"</p><p>"For sure."</p><p>"Great." Zach turns back to Chloe. "Again, so nice to meet you, Chloe."</p><p>"Likewise."</p><p>Zach picks up his briefcase and makes his way into the building.</p><p>Chloe catches Max letting her gaze linger on Zach. "He knows he doesn't have to wear that Halloween costume to class, right?"</p><p>Max rolls her eyes.</p><p>"I mean, he's just teaching intro biology to hungover, half-asleep freshmen."</p><p>"It's his style. Who said only you could have a style?"</p><p>"I'm just saying, with all the money he could save on dry cleaning, we could feed an African village for a year."</p><p>Max playfully slaps Chloe in the arm. "The important thing is he likes you."</p><p>"Doesn't that just make my day?"</p><p>"Do you want to come for dinner? Every Friday he makes the most amazing stir fry. It's got the mushrooms and little corn and everything. You know what we call it?"</p><p>Chloe just says the first thing that comes to mind: "Stir Friday?"</p><p>"Oh. It's not as clever as we thought, I guess."</p><p>"Sorry, I can't," Chloe responds apologetically. "I have to be in Yakima by tonight."</p><p>"What's in Yakima?"</p><p>"This friend of mine, Skip, he was working at Blackwell before you were there. Now he does security for some minor league baseball team, and they need concessions workers for the season."</p><p>Leave it to Chloe to walk the least-beaten path, thought Max.</p><p>"After that," Chloe goes on, "David was telling me about an army friend of his at the VA in Portland. Apparently, their receptionist is about a billion years old and is gonna retire soon, so maybe I step in there."</p><p>"So it sounds like both of us are going through our changes."</p><p>"True. I mean, things might get even more serious with monkey boy there."</p><p>"I'm just going one step at a time."</p><p>"Just tell me, how does it work in bed?"</p><p>"Chloe!"</p><p>"Aren't you eye level with his bellybutton when he--"</p><p>"OK stop!" a giggling Max tries to place her hand over Chloe's guffawing mouth. For this brief moment, they let go of their anxieties about the future, let go of the pain they've caused each other in the past. For this brief moment, they just laugh together, enjoy each other in this brief moment alone.</p><p>The crowd around them has thinned, as the next round of classes has begun. This reminds Chloe to check the time on her phone. "I should go."</p><p>"OK. Sure."</p><p>"Listen," Chloe's tone turns a little more serious. "Like you said, we're both going through some changes."</p><p>"Right."</p><p>"So maybe it's gonna be a little harder for us to always be in touch."</p><p>"I get it."</p><p>"I'll always try my best to be there for you."</p><p>"I believe you."</p><p>"Even if we don't see each other for a while, is that OK?"</p><p>Max didn't have an answer for Chloe back then, but now she feels she can finally say it. "It's enough."</p><p>Chloe nods knowingly. "Bye, Long Max Silver."</p><p>"Take care," Max reassures Chloe with a smile, "Captain Bluebeard."</p><p>At the same time, they each turn from each other, on towards their futures.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>"They'll say you could do anything. They'll say that I was clever."</strong>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>In an effort to find some common ground with those readers who weren't quite satisfied with the conclusion, I've decided to work on continuing this story. If you still will give it a chance, I've recently published the first installment of the next entry, titled "Takeaway." If you're still giving this story arc a chance, please check that out.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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